I hope everyone had a good start to their week, and if you didn't, then maybe the latest edition of "Best Of" will help turn things around for you. With the Wizards in Tulsa (a game they lost), Director of Media Relations Scott Woodmansee was out guest again this week in the studio. Among other things, we discuss the return of Taylor Griffin, the impact new acquisition Stefhon Hannah will have on Dakota's offense and dive into some highlights from Saturday's win over Springfield at the Civic Center.

Sunday turned into a busy morning for the Dakota Wizards as a flurry of roster moves transpired prior to tonight's meeting with the 66ers in Tulsa. The team re-acquired forward Taylor Griffin (older brother of Blake Griffin) after he was waived due to injury following an ankle injury suffered during the D-League Showcase. The team also acquired guard Stefhon Hannah from the available player pool. Hannah is another veteran head coach Nate Bjorkgren has experience coaching, after he joined the Iowa Energy late last season, proving invaluable in the postseason where he averaged 15.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in eight games. Of course his most indelible mark came in the decisive third D-League Championship game where he scored 31 points against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in leading Iowa to its first title. Most recently he played professionnally in Poland for AZS Koszalin. In order to make room for the move the Wizards waived recently acquired Patrick Sanders, they also had an open roster spot following Joe Harden's departure for a pro deal in Austrailia yesterday morning.

The addition of Griffin is an obvious upgrade in the frontcourt where Dakota adds another strong, athletic presence at both ends of the floor. Even in the limited minutes the former Phoenix Sun played before his injury in Reno, his physical abilities were evident. He also is comfortable enough playing on the perimeter that Bjorkgren can go with a "monster" lineup of sorts with Griffin playing the small forward spot.

In swapping out Sanders for Hannah, the Wizards are clearly putting a premium on ball movement over perimeter shooting - a smart move on this team. Hannah had nearly a 2-to-1 assist to turnover ratio last season and produced four assists per-36 minutes as he adjusted mid-season play in the D-League. He'll put up his share of shots - there's no question there - but he gives the Wizards another viable point guard option behind Mo Baker and gives them the luxury of moving Justin Johnson off the ball if they so choose.

Both players will be in uniform for tonight's game in Tulsa.

Box Score

A friend approached me last night following the Wizards four-point win over Springfield and said, "You know it was boring up until the last few minutes when things got close." The statement is as much as compliment to Dakota's control in the third quarter as it is an indictment of their near collapse in the final six minutes - at least it would appear that way on paper.

The play-by-play shows the Armor closing on a 13-6 run, with the Wizards evening saved on a dagger of a step back corner jumper from Justin Johnson with just over one minute to play. Truth be told though, Dakota executed well down the stretch, shots simply weren't falling in a timely fashion. Over the course of the final five minutes the Wizards were able to work for the following shots: a drive and kick for an open Edwin Ubiles three, a driving hook from Marcus Dove, a post possession for Mo Baker and a pull-up jumper from ten feet along the baseline, also for Baker. None of these shots dropped, but I'm pretty sure Nate Bjorkgren would be happy with getting these kinds of looks again in the future - they were all good possessions. As much as we want to believe that professionals are going to convert every "good" look, that isn't the case. 

Overall, we're talking about one of the better offensive performances of the season for Dakota. The team shot 49% from the floor, got to the line 39 times (hitting on 26, probably the one sore point of the evening), broke even on the glass, only turned the ball over 11 times and perhaps most importantly assisted on 23-of-40 field goals - one of the best assist rates for the Wizards this season. While six different players had multiple assists, Justin Johnson (tied for a team-high six) was the player that caught my eye. I had talked with Bjorkgren earlier in the day about the rookie's quickness off the dribble and the need for him to be more assertive when he gets into the lane - this manifested itself last night at the Civic Center. He's one of the quickest players in the D-League and I've yet to see someone who can consistently stay in front of him defensively, but Johnson has shown a tendency to have tunnel vision when attacking. Last night he opened up his court vision more than we've seen and the results were excellent - none more so on that missed three by Ubiles that we referenced one paragraph up. Johnson drove along the baseline and caused the entire defense to collapse into the lane. A few other notes from the win:

 - The more I watch, the more I'm convinced Marcus Dove is the most valuable frontcourt player on this team. He doesn't have Tommy Smith's height or length, isn't as strong as Curtis Withers and doesn't have Mike Anderson's athleticism or versatility, but he has a nice mix of everything else. Dove's defensive prowess has been lauded for years, but his inherit value for Dakota is his ability to fill in gaps offensively. He moves well off the ball, crashes the offensive glass and creates movement in the offense by cutting to open spaces. In short - as I've said a few times on here - he doesn't need the ball to score. For a team heavy with scoring guards, this is so important.

 - Edwin Ubiles - while still showing the occasional tendency to wait too long before making a strong move - has really looked strong off the dribble the last few games. His instincts are improving, his body control is excellent and if anything, he is looking more explosive than he did when the  season first started. There have been several plays the last few nights where Ubiles has finished a drive off with a slam, where in previous scenarios he would have tried to lay it up off the glass. You can't do anything but love this aggressiveness. 

 - The Wizards travels continue tonight when they suit up in Tulsa for their fourth meeting with the 66ers. A win gets Dakota back to .500 on the season and would push them into playoff seeding (I know it's early to be talking playoffs already).

As first reported by NBC North Dakota Sports, Dakota Wizards rookie forward Joe Harden has signed a contract to play professionally in Austrailia. He left Bismarck this morning. A 6-foot-7 rookie out of UC-Davis, Harden appeared in 13 games this season, posting averages of 1.5 points and nearly two rebounds per game in eight minutes of playing time. The Wizards will play with a nine-man roster tonight against the Springfield Armor, but it is expected they will make some kind of a roster move prior to tomorrow's game in Tulsa.

With Harden's departure, the Wizards are left with Tommy Smith, Marcus Dove, Curtis Withers and Mike Anderson in their frontcour rotation, though Dove has been hampered with a nagging calf injury as of late.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you know my feelings on Tommy Smith - he is an impact player. And not just a guy who makes a play here or there, but the kind of big man that can completely alter the landscape of the court at this level. Well, last night the former Warriors training camp invite put it all together in a dominating 30-point, 11-rebound, 4-block performance in leading the Wizards to a 108-100 win over the Mad Ants.

While more astute viewers may have seen the flashes of brilliance that led to Golden State taking an early flyer on the 6-foot-11 forward, Tuesday night was an all-encompassing effort that even the most casual observer can take appreciation of. Smith was his usual active self in the lane, establishing position, keeping plays alive, showing his deft footwork in the post and slamming home the occasional put back. This, however, was the first opportunity we've had to see him consistently attacking off the dribble from the high post, a move he's more than capable of making consistently when he chooses to. It's a move that doubly benefits the Wizards, not only because of the physical advantage that Smith holds over many of his frontcourt contemporaries in the D-League, but because of the enormous pressure it puts on opposing defenses to collapse - opening the perimeter up substantially. It should come as no surprise either that Dakota tallied 13 offensive rebounds (slightly above average) as the attention paid Smith allowed others to crash the glass unimpeded. 

The Wizards were also certainly buoyed by the return of Marcus Dove who checked in with 17 points and six rebounds. This was a tailor made Dove performance, scoring without dominating the basketball, making key defensive plays and as is almost always the case, standing out in the +/- metric with a +15 in 28 minutes. As much praise as guys like Shane Battier have received in the NBA for their seemingly incalculable contribution (hence the continued development of advanced metrics like +/-), Dove is very much the same kind of "I can't quite put my finger on it" kind of player. His return, coupled with the presence of Smith, Withers and the anticipated return of Taylor Griffin, gives the Wizards as formidable frontcourt as any team in the East Conference. Now for a few more notes.

 - Dakota should feel really, really good about the second half of this one. The Wizards trailed by eight at the half, exploded in the third for a 33-19 advantage, but most importantly finished the job in the fourth. It was far from a perfect game, but the offensive efficiency was high, there was no late lapse and the rebounding game was relatively even. This was needed following Sunday's overtime loss.

 - Justin Johnson has established himself as one of the toughest players in the D-League to stay in front of in isolation situations - now he just needs to start doing more with it. He tends to get tunnel vision once by his man in the lane, often forcing tough shots over bigger defenders. Now to be fair, he hits a lot of these shots, but his potential as a playmaker out of these sets is sky high.   

 - Defensively there were some issues for the Wizards, most prominent of which was the relative ease that Fort Wayne executed its dribble drive game. Luckily Dakota's frontcourt handled the added pressure with great success, but this is certainly something to be aware of for match ups with more efficient perimeter teams.

With the Wizards in the midst of another quick road-trip, we had the chance to catch up with head coach Nate Bjorkgren from Fort Wayne to discuss among other things, the teams recent acquisition of Patrick Sanders, the recent run of overtime games and the brutality of the D-League schedule. 

Dakota is back in action tonight against the Mad Ants, we'll have a full recap tomorrow.

On recent second half struggles, inability to close out games:
I think it’s a little bit of everything. I think some of it is fatigue, but I tell you what, we’ve just had the ball not bounce our way a few times. If you remember in that most recent win (double-overtime vs. Tulsa) on Friday, I think you even wrote it, we had three straight turnovers that were really uncharacteristic or out team. Mo (Baker) steps on the endline, Shy (Ely) tries to post feed (Curtis) Withers – that results in a turnover. Then Edwin (Ubiles) traveled bringing the ball up and the officials gave it back to Tulsa. That’s three straight possessions, bang, bang, bang, that results in nine straight points. If those three things don’t happen I thought we were very good in the fourth against Tulsa, we were in a position to win that one by 10 points. If you look at Sunday night against Fort Wayne it was the same thing. They had the ball under their own basket, we get a deflection and it goes right into the hands of Darnell Lazarre. Mo got run down from behind and the ball was knocked away and they got it back again – we’ve just had some bad bounces. Our guys are playing hard, but if they’re not closing out like they should, or not moving and cutting like they should, the other team is going to jump all over it. We do a good job of putting ourselves in position to win games and we’ve won some close ones, we’ve lost some close ones.

On the starters playing so long against Fort Wayne:
I’m trying to mix it up. In talking about our lapses in games, sometimes it’s been fatigue; sometimes it’s been certain lineups. I rode the starters longer in the second half. For example, JJ (Justin Johnson) didn’t have good numbers when he went in the first time, then he comes in late in the game and had four or six straight points. I’m just looking for that lineup and I did, I went for it in that game. I wanted to get that game just like I want to get every game.

On the D-League's packed schedule:
It’s tough when games come on you quick. We watch a lot of film, do extensive work in pregame stuff before heading to the arena. Guys are banged up but we’re able to walk through some stuff, get on the court as a team. It comes back to taking care of yourself and your own team first, we need to keep getting better at the little things. There were a few big perimeters from Sunday where they catch it on the perimeter and instead of us having active hands that are up, they’re down and they hit those shots. We have to challenge shots better.

On Patrick Sanders acquisition:
When Taylor Griffin went down in the Showcase we needed an emergency body and there was Patrick Sanders sitting in the pool. He’s a guy that I was familiar with, I knew what I’d get with him. He averaged 13 or 14 points a game in the D-League a few years ago. He’s a veteran, I knew he would come in and wouldn’t disrupt any chemistry.

I've had several fans approach me in recent weeks asking if the 2011-12 Wizards are on track to have a similar fate as the 2010-11 version - a team that struggled to a 19-31 record. The answer - for those of you who may be asking yourself the same question - is unequivocally no. Don't be fooled by Dakota's 8-10 record, this team is better than it's record, a topic that has been discussed several times in the KFYR-TV Sports Department.

How quickly we forget that last year's team started 2-12, was devoid of a strong veteran presence and frankly entered the regular season with a number of players who had no business being on a D-League roster. While the defense was solid, the offense was generally anemic, ranking 15th in the league in scoring efficiency and in the bottom half of the D-League in essentially every scoring scenario save for shots generated from offensive rebounds. So essentially, without the presence of current NBAer Chris Johnson, this team could have gone down as one of the worst offenses in league history. There was a disconnect on the court with players, a constant rate of turnover on the roster, a seemingly revolving door of journeymen players.

Don't mistake last year's team for the current one. The Wizards are deep, experienced and within a few questionable calls and unfortunate bounces from being over .500 on the year. A much maligned offense from a season ago has dramatically improved, the defense remains stout (most of the time) and the roster is surprisingly ripe with players capable of scoring baskets when they are sorely needed. Before the arrival of faces like Anthony Goods and Mike Hall last season who could the Wizards go to for a late game score? Johnson was an easy double-team on the block, Renaldo Major for all of his talents wasn't an elite iso player - the rest left far too much to be desired. The 2012 version can go to Edwin Ubiles, a continually developing Mike Anderson, Mo Baker and even rookie Justin Johnson in stretches. 

Perhaps the most tangible difference in this year's team has been the ability to win more consistently in close games. Fans may point to the Wizards 50 percent success rate in crunch time this year - but this is a significant improvement from last season. Friday's double-overtime win over Tulsa - for all of the hair pulling it inspired - is a game Dakota would have lost in 2011. The fortitude necessary to overcome blowing a 16-point second-half lead wasn't present on that roster - at least not among enough players to result in a win. 

Are these minor differences? Maybe, maybe not. Frankly it depends on how closely you observe this team. I don't consider it a coincidence that when asked, the individuals who initially approached me with the question that prompted this post had only been to a pair of home games - the season-opening loss to Los Angeles and the Friday night win over Tulsa. The perception created from these two games was that of a team capable of getting close and occasionally squeaking out a win. The bigger picture is more promising, more tantalizing, one that should have fans excited as we approach the midway point of the regular season. 

Happy MLK Day everyone. Hopefully those of you with the day off will be relaxing, enjoying time with friends and family, or quite possibly tuning in for the litany of basketball games on TV today. For those looking for their D-League fix, Dakota Wizards Director of Media Relations Scott Woodmansee was my guest this week on Wizards Watch with the team on the road facing Fort Wayne.

Scott and I discuss the Wizards 0-2 showing at the D-League Showcase in Reno, the acquisition of swingman Patrick Sanders and of course break down the highlights from Friday's thrilling double-overtime win over Tulsa. Enjoy the action!

If you're a sports fan, the title of this post generally covers the approach to winning - it's all that matters. It can be flawless, ugly, controversial - but a win is a win. I'd imagine most coaches and players feel the same as well, but with the caveat that ugly wins are cause for concern when preparing for the future. As for Friday, I'm still trying to figure out the word to use for this one. Blow a 15-point halftime lead, blow a 16-point lead with three minutes to go in the third quarter, nearly throw it away in the fourth and overtime? Just another day on the job for the Dakota Wizards.

Dakota played a great game for all but the last 10 minutes and even then it wasn't absolutely terrible. Yes, the poor and forced shot selection which we've come to expect for stretches did rear it's ugly head in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter and played a major role in Tulsa's comeback. The 66ers also refused to quit, particularly guard Jerome Dyson who was a terror off the dribble in the second half. But the Wizards had somewhat uncharacteristic turnover problems emerge late in the game, turning the ball over seven times in the fourth. Still, in spite of the fact that the Wizards probably aren't going to be recommended for those of us with high blood pressure anytime soon, this team has an impressive will to win. They sit at 8-9, but if not for a few tremendous showings of intestinal fortitude, they could easily be 5-12.

Just a few quick observations from the second half:
 - Mike Anderson was his usual, big energy play at a timely juncture of the game-self. Besides his game-high 24 points, the more I watch the him play, the more it becomes obvious he's developing into a clear out and get this man the ball we need a basket kind of player. Are the Wizards suddenly going to start isolating him more frequently ala Edwin Ubiles or Justin Johnson? My guess is probably not, but given the development of his jumper, his increased confidence off the dribble and that unorthodox spin move where he utilizes his length so well, Anderson is a handful to cover one-on-one late in games.

 - Shy Ely and Curtis Withers were both huge in the fourth quarters and overtime. Talk about bouncing back from a poor performance by Withers though. Dakota went to him three times in the first four minutes of their loss to Austin - an unusually high number of touches for him that early in a game. Withers went 0-for-3 and put up a goose egg in the scoring column for the game. On Friday he responded with a 15-point, 9-rebound effort, with the bulk of his scoring coming after the half. If not for the Wizards being forced to not one, but two overtimes, I guarantee the primary storyline of this game would have been Withers keeping the team afloat down the stretch.

 - On that same note, Ely is right in the mix for that label as well. In addition to hitting some clutch three's while Tulsa was surging in the fourth, the veteran guard could have easily played the role of hero after stealing a Jerome Dyson handoff, getting fouled and converting both free throws to give the Wizards a 99-98 lead with 33 second to play in overtime. Of course Curtis Sumpter burried a three leading to Mike Anderson's heroics.

 - Not much else to say other than this was a badly needed win to snap a three-game losing streak. Dakota begins a two-game series in Fort Wayne this afternoon, games they should win in theory to get back over .500. We'll have recap of that one tomorrow along with the Best of Wizards Watch. For now, enjoy reliving Anderson's Friday night buzzer-beater.

With a positively hectic few days ahead and a somewhat diminished sports department with weekends and coverage road trips on the docket, I'm going to leave you with just a few thoughts from Dakota's 14-point loss to league leading Austin at the Showcase yesterday.

 - Failing to play a complete game was again the Wizards downfall in this one. Dakota led by a point at the half, played solid enough defensively and despite a relative lack of off the ball movement was buoyed by hitting jumpers when given the opportunity. Then came the third quarter in which the Toros outscored the Wizards 27-16 - that was it. Simply too big of a hole to climb out of against a team as talented as Austin.

 - Edwin Ubiles was more aggressive offensively and it showed in the box score as the rookie finished with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. This, again, was an example of his developing knowledge of the game. Austin's approach with him defensively was much more man-to-man based than Canton who seemed more inclined to let the other players on the floor beat them, often spying with an additional defender in the vicinity. With suddenly less attention payed him, Ubiles went to the basket more frequently, got to the line and made a nice showing of his isolation scoring abilities.

 - I liked the early touches Curtis Withers was getting inside, putting up three shots in the game's opening minutes. Yes, he finished scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting, but I think the idea of playing inside/out could be what this team needs to get it kick started with off the ball movement.

 - This leads me to my next point, the Wizards struggled to move the ball at all in the second half. While nine assists on 37 field goals is a low number in itself, Dakota mustered just a single assist after the half. Somehow, in spite of this, the team still shot a respectable 45% from the floor, but one assist in 24 minutes is not going to yield a lot of wins. Ball movement has been a continued problem this season and one I've harped on quite a bit - I have my theories but I plan on delving into the tape a bit more to see what I can find before I make any premature assessments. 

 - In general I thought the defense did a decent enough job on Austin's Justin Dentmon and Terrance Woodbury - it just so happens they combined for 48 points on 17-of-29 shooting. Both have quick releases, do a nice job of finding holes in the defense and know how to capitalize on scoring chances. Dentmon - one of the more popular picks to be the next NBA call-up candidate - in particular is a shifty player that needs constant attention in order to be neutralized. Still, I don't see these two as the cause for a loss.

 - As already mentioned earlier today, Taylor Griffin is gone following an ankle injury, so the Wizards frontcourt will be a bit thinner, especially with Marcus Dove nursing an injury as well. Dakota it back home for a quick turnaround tonight, hosting Tulsa for the third time this season. After a 1-3 road trip the Wizards need a win here to get back on track before heading to Fort Wayne for two games that they can very much win.